Eternium

Chapter 7 Ashlee

Maximus feels disoriented and confused as his vision fades to black. When he regains consciousness, he finds himself lying in a large room with a machine next to him, wires attached to his temples. He hears music playing softly in the background, and he feels a slight buzz in his head. As he looks around, he notices that the room is dimly lit, and he sees strange, glowing symbols etched into the walls. He tries to sit up, but he feels weak and disoriented, as if he has just woken up from a deep sleep.

Maximus takes a deep breath, reaching for a glass on his table and drinks it. feeling the blue liquid working its way through his system, and then slowly removes the wires from his temples. He feels a sense of relief as the machine powers down and the music fades away. As he sits up, he feels his memories flooding back to him - the military academy, the space missions, and Luna, his true love.

He then taps his left pinky with his thumb and suddenly, a holographic display appears in front of him, filled with missed calls, emails, and other notifications. He scrolls through them, reading each one carefully and realizing that he has missed out on a lot in his other life. As he looks around the room, he realizes that he is in some kind of laboratory and that the machine he was in was a memory enhancer.

Maximus scrolled through the messages, his eyes scanning through the subjects and senders. One caught his attention - an email from Legolas marked as "Urgent." His heart quickened with anticipation as he opened the message.

"Maximus, I hope this message reaches you. Go to the Living Gardens Space Launch Yard immediately and find Ryan. He has important information that will fill you in on everything. Hurry, time is of the essence."

Maximus read the message several times over, trying to decipher its meaning. He had so many questions, but no answers. His memories were slowly coming back, but he was still disoriented and uncertain about what to do next. He drank another glass of the blue liquid and felt his energy returning.

Maximus stood up from the machine and looked around the room. It was large and spacious, with white walls and bright lights. He walked towards the door and found that it was unlocked. Maximus stepped outside and found himself in a long hallway. He looked at the doors on both sides, but they were all closed. He could hear music playing in the background, a soothing melody that seemed to calm his nerves.

Maximus started walking down the hallway, his mind racing with questions. What was he supposed to do at the space launch yard? Who was Ryan? And why was Legolas not with him? He knew that he needed to find answers to these questions, and quickly. Time was running out, and he had a feeling that something big was about to happen.

As Maximus walked down the hallway, he began to remember the building. It was an arcade that enhanced memories, where people went to play their alternate life video games. He passed by several rooms where people were hooked up to machines, reliving their memories. The sound of laughter and the glow of screens filled the air. It all came back to him now, how he had come to this arcade to enhance his own memories.

Maximus looks around and sees more advertisements for other virtual reality games and memory enhancers. The vivid colors and futuristic design of the arcade catch his eye as he takes in the bustling crowd around him, all engrossed in their own virtual worlds. He can hear the sounds of game machines, music and people laughing and chatting.

As he walks towards the exit, a holographic ad for "Eternium" catches his eye. He stops to read it, and the words "massive universal galactic multiplayer quintom speed online" intrigue him.

Maximus stops in front of the holographic ad and examines it closely. He remembers that Eternium was the latest and most popular memory enhancer in his solar system. He had heard that almost everyone was actively participating in the game.